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Saturday, July 13, 2013
Cool Plants Are SO Cool
Look At These Mini Pigs
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ScienceDaily: Top Science News
ScienceDaily: Top Science News |
- Where do muscles get their power? Fifty-year-old assumptions about strength muscled aside
- Induced seismicity? Recent spike of earthquakes in the central and eastern U.S. may be linked to human activity
- Air pollution responsible for more than 2 million deaths worldwide each year, experts estimate
- Individual atoms imaged in a living catalytic reaction
| Where do muscles get their power? Fifty-year-old assumptions about strength muscled aside Posted: 12 Jul 2013 07:28 AM PDT New understanding of where muscles get their power from turns 50 years of strength belief on its head. New insight could aid everything from bodybuilding to cardiac care. |
| Posted: 12 Jul 2013 06:52 AM PDT The number of earthquakes has increased dramatically over the past few years within the central and eastern United States. More than 300 earthquakes above a magnitude 3.0 occurred in the three years from 2010-2012, compared with an average rate of 21 events per year observed from 1967-2000. This increase in earthquakes prompts two important questions: Are they natural, or human-made? And what should be done in the future as we address the causes and consequences of these events to reduce associated risks? U.S. Geological Survey scientists have been analyzing the changes in the rate of earthquakes as well as the likely causes, and they have some answers. |
| Air pollution responsible for more than 2 million deaths worldwide each year, experts estimate Posted: 12 Jul 2013 05:44 AM PDT More than two million deaths occur globally each year as a direct result of human-caused outdoor air pollution, a new study has found. In addition, while it has been suggested that a changing climate can exacerbate the effects of air pollution and increase death rates, the study shows that this has a minimal effect and only accounts for a small proportion of current deaths related to air pollution. |
| Individual atoms imaged in a living catalytic reaction Posted: 12 Jul 2013 05:43 AM PDT Groundbreaking new electron microscopy technology is allowing researchers to observe and analyze single atoms, small clusters and nanoparticles in dynamic in-situ experiments for the first time. |
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ScienceDaily: Living Well News
ScienceDaily: Living Well News |
| Early financial arguments are a predictor of divorce Posted: 12 Jul 2013 07:24 AM PDT A researcher finds correlation between financial arguments, decreased relationship satisfaction. |
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ScienceDaily: Top Environment News
ScienceDaily: Top Environment News |
- Induced seismicity? Recent spike of earthquakes in the central and eastern U.S. may be linked to human activity
- Grazing slugs hinder grassland restoration
- Air pollution responsible for more than 2 million deaths worldwide each year, experts estimate
- A coral symbiont genome decoded for first time
| Posted: 12 Jul 2013 06:52 AM PDT The number of earthquakes has increased dramatically over the past few years within the central and eastern United States. More than 300 earthquakes above a magnitude 3.0 occurred in the three years from 2010-2012, compared with an average rate of 21 events per year observed from 1967-2000. This increase in earthquakes prompts two important questions: Are they natural, or human-made? And what should be done in the future as we address the causes and consequences of these events to reduce associated risks? U.S. Geological Survey scientists have been analyzing the changes in the rate of earthquakes as well as the likely causes, and they have some answers. |
| Grazing slugs hinder grassland restoration Posted: 12 Jul 2013 05:46 AM PDT Research shows slugs may be hampering efforts to restore ecologically important grasslands. |
| Air pollution responsible for more than 2 million deaths worldwide each year, experts estimate Posted: 12 Jul 2013 05:44 AM PDT More than two million deaths occur globally each year as a direct result of human-caused outdoor air pollution, a new study has found. In addition, while it has been suggested that a changing climate can exacerbate the effects of air pollution and increase death rates, the study shows that this has a minimal effect and only accounts for a small proportion of current deaths related to air pollution. |
| A coral symbiont genome decoded for first time Posted: 12 Jul 2013 05:43 AM PDT Scientists have decoded the genome of the algae Symbiodinium minutum. This is a major advance in understanding the complex ecology of coral reefs. |
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ScienceDaily: Top Health News
ScienceDaily: Top Health News |
- Interspecies transplant works in first step for new diabetes therapy
- On the trail of bacteria: Infrared light allows characterization of pathogens
- Drug delivery: Small packages delivering huge results
- Brain region implicated in emotional disturbance in dementia patients
- Where do muscles get their power? Fifty-year-old assumptions about strength muscled aside
- Understanding the motivations of mass shooters is key to successful law enforcement strategies
- Marital status reduces risk of death from HIV/AIDS for men
- Gang members found to suffer unprecedented levels of psychiatric illness
- Air pollution responsible for more than 2 million deaths worldwide each year, experts estimate
- Novel bicycle saddle prevents chafing, pain and other damage associated with the genital area
- Daydreaming simulated by computer model
| Interspecies transplant works in first step for new diabetes therapy Posted: 12 Jul 2013 08:46 AM PDT In the first step toward animal-to-human transplants of insulin-producing cells for people with type 1 diabetes, scientists have successfully transplanted islets, the cells that produce insulin, from one species to another. And the islets survived without immunosuppressive drugs. Scientists developed a new method that prevented rejection of the islets, a huge problem in transplants between species, called xenotransplantation. |
| On the trail of bacteria: Infrared light allows characterization of pathogens Posted: 12 Jul 2013 08:46 AM PDT Scientists are hot on the trail of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. The researchers have developed a technique for the rapid and reliable distinction between strains that can cause chronic infections and those that cannot. Using infrared light and artificial intelligence, the scientists present a sophisticated method for the prediction of disease progression. |
| Drug delivery: Small packages delivering huge results Posted: 12 Jul 2013 08:46 AM PDT Researchers have developed an efficient system to coat tiny objects, such as bacterial cells, with thin films that assemble themselves which could have important implications for drug delivery as well as biomedical and environmental applications. |
| Brain region implicated in emotional disturbance in dementia patients Posted: 12 Jul 2013 08:45 AM PDT A new study has demonstrated that patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) lose the emotional content/color of their memories. These findings explain why FTD patients may not vividly remember an emotionally charged event like a wedding or funeral. |
| Where do muscles get their power? Fifty-year-old assumptions about strength muscled aside Posted: 12 Jul 2013 07:28 AM PDT New understanding of where muscles get their power from turns 50 years of strength belief on its head. New insight could aid everything from bodybuilding to cardiac care. |
| Understanding the motivations of mass shooters is key to successful law enforcement strategies Posted: 12 Jul 2013 07:25 AM PDT A detailed statistical study of mass shootings in the USA suggests that training law enforcement officers to recognize the psychology and behavioral patterns of perpetrators could improve officers' ability to deal with an on-site shootout or suicide. |
| Marital status reduces risk of death from HIV/AIDS for men Posted: 12 Jul 2013 07:24 AM PDT At the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s men who were married were significantly less likely to die of HIV/AIDS than their single counterparts. For women, marital status had little impact on who was more likely to die of the disease. But race proved to be a significant risk factor. |
| Gang members found to suffer unprecedented levels of psychiatric illness Posted: 12 Jul 2013 05:46 AM PDT Young men who are gang members suffer unprecedented levels of psychiatric illness, placing a heavy burden on mental health services, according to new research. |
| Air pollution responsible for more than 2 million deaths worldwide each year, experts estimate Posted: 12 Jul 2013 05:44 AM PDT More than two million deaths occur globally each year as a direct result of human-caused outdoor air pollution, a new study has found. In addition, while it has been suggested that a changing climate can exacerbate the effects of air pollution and increase death rates, the study shows that this has a minimal effect and only accounts for a small proportion of current deaths related to air pollution. |
| Novel bicycle saddle prevents chafing, pain and other damage associated with the genital area Posted: 12 Jul 2013 05:44 AM PDT Researchers have developed a novel bicycle saddle that prevents chafing, pain and other damage associated with the genital area as impotence and prostatitis. |
| Daydreaming simulated by computer model Posted: 12 Jul 2013 05:42 AM PDT Scientists have created a virtual model of the brain that daydreams like humans do. They hope the model will help them understand why certain portions of the brain work together when a person is mentally idle. |
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The Cynical Girl: F@%k It Friday: Jon Stewart
The Cynical Girl: F@%k It Friday: Jon Stewart |  |
| Posted: 12 Jul 2013 03:45 AM PDT
Correction: I faxed him a fan letter. And it wasn’t one letter. It was two. Here we go. Back in 1994, I was a a nineteen-year-old sophomore in college. I lived in St. Louis with my boyfriend and cat. We were normal. I went to school. I had a part-time job. We watched The Jon Stewart Show every night before going to bed. (Yes, he had a show before The Daily Show. It was hilarious). Even though he’s 12 years older than me, I always felt like Jon Stewart was the voice of my generation. He was so much better than Jay Leno. So much funnier than Arsenio Hall. That’s why I thought it would be a good idea to write a letter and tell Jon Stewart that I was a fan. Except I’m not dumb. He would never get my letter . . . . just like Michael Jackson never got the invitation to my birthday party. That’s why I tried to be crafty. We had AOL dial-up at my house. The Jon Stewart Show didn’t really have a web page, but I did manage to find the name of his production company. So I spent 99¢ and called 411 (hyperlinked for you kids out there) to see what I could find. Then I paid another 99¢ to automatically patch me through to the production company’s main office. Some older woman answered the phone. I blurted out, “I want to fax a letter to The Jon Stewart Show. What’s your fax number?” The woman asked, “What? Our fax number? What kind of letter?” I said, “I’m writing a letter of complaint.” Just like that, I got the fax number. The rest was easy. I went into an early version of WordPerfect and typed out what is probably a total fucking psycho letter of admiration and love. I was trying to be restrained but passionate. And since I worked in the Religious Studies department at my college, I used our fax machine to send the letter. Suckers. I could not be stopped. A few nights later, Jon Stewart made a joke about St. Louis on his show. Now listen, who the hell wouldn’t joke about it? It’s one of the armpits of America — right behind Indianapolis, Louisville and most of Ohio. But I took his joke as a sign because I was nuts. I then sent another fax.
Sigh. I was absolutely out of my mind. One person’s persistent fan is another person’s stalker. (I am sorry, Jon Stewart. I totally deserve the label.) Fan letters are part of a long tradition of admiration and affection. They can be cute and harmless. They can also be nutty. I can’t be the only one who took a fan letter to a new level. I know some of you HR ladies were hoochies in the 80s.
Make me feel better about my poor choices in the 90s.  |
| The Best Conference Booths Have Animals Posted: 11 Jul 2013 03:45 AM PDT
I don’t just attend events for HR dorks. I try to find out what’s happening in other communities. I seek out marketing nerds. Design dweebs. Crazy mommybloggers. Animal lovers. Civil servants. Coding geeks. I once poked my head into a life sciences conference in San Diego just because I was bored at my own show. (They have hashtags and wild parties, too.) All of these conferences have expo halls and booths where I’ve seen everyone from Erik Estrada to Stedman Graham to Richard Blais. (Don’t be too impressed.) And the only thing I know about conferences is that the best booths have animals. This is a no-brainer at events like BlogHer or BlogPaws. Easy. But it’s harder at an event like SHRM. So about ten weeks ago, I sent an email to my old employer — a marketing firm — and said WHATEVER YOU DO YOU HAVE TO GET LIL BUB TO SHRM. If you don’t know Lil Bub, she is a girl. (Get that in your head, okay?) And she is very cute. Bub is also a special needs kitty, which makes her chill and friendly in a chaotic environment. The weird thing about Bub is that normal people with boring jobs will wrap themselves around a city block to meet her. She is the most amazing cat ever. And this is my friend Stephanie who runs a successful blog called Catsparella. Trust me, you and your shitty HR blog wish you had her traffic. And even she was wowed by Miss Bubz!
Lil Bub would be a huge hit at a Human Resources conference. People would love to meet her. The pictures could be shared via social media in the best way. Flickr? Vine? Instagram Video? It doesn’t even matter. The attendees would do the work themselves. And then I got on my virtual-hands-and-knees and begged my former colleagues to find a way to get Lil Bub from Indiana (where she lives) to Chicago. Isn’t there some vendor who is sick of giving away shitty swag and wants to give away an experience with Bub?! But my idea was too late. There wasn’t enough time to be nimble. Meanwhile, VPI Pet Insurance had a line wrapped around the conference floor on a Tuesday afternoon so people could touch therapy dogs.
Unbelievable. It turns out that sad HR ladies (like me) missed our animals so much. We wanted some love from neutered dogs (instead of the male wildebeests from the HR tech community who came out to see DJ Jazzy Jeff). So let that be a lesson to all Human Resources vendors:
Wouldn’t hurt to have a dog at a marketing conference, either. I need to get to work! |
I once wrote 
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